ARCAS Board and Staff Members
BOARD PRESIDENT
Julio Piedrasanta
Board President, Julio Piedra Santa is a Guatemalan engineer and businessman, who has been on the ARCAS board for 20 years. He worked at one of the largest editorial houses in Guatemala, has a passion for environmental education, and with ARCAS, developed the “Education is Fun” series on sea turtles, mangroves, and endangered species.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Miriam Monterroso
Miriam Monterroso is a well-known lawyer and environmentalist in Guatemala and has been ARCAS’s Executive Director since 1994. She is in charge of policy level activities having to do with wildlife advocacy, having served on the boards of the National Forestry Institute, the National Council of Protected Areas, the IUCN national committee as well as the association of environmental NGOs
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Colum Muccio
Colum Muccio has been ARCAS´s Development Director since 1995, overseeing much of its fundraising, public relations and project management activities. He takes a leading role in sea turtle and yellow-naped amazon research and conservation, and marine advocacy. He is also an avid explorer and has climbed all 37 volcanoes of Guatemala.
FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT
Elizabeth Yanes
Elizabeth Yanes is ARCAS’s financial coordinator, handling all accounting and reporting functions for the association, and has gained valuable expertise in administering funds for other governmental entities.
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Luisa Ortiz
Luisa Ortiz is ARCAS’s project coordinator at the central office, handling the logistics and coordination of governmental projects administered by ARCAS. She is working on her business administration degree from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
LOGISTICAL COORDINATOR
Juan Carlos de La Rosa
Juan Carlos de la Rosa is the logistical coordinator of ARCAS’s central office, having joined the team in 2018.
VETERINARIAN / SUB DIRECTOR PETEN PROGRAM
Alejandro Morales
Alejandro is a veterinary doctor who assists Fernando in the administration of the Rescue Center in Peten, focusing primarily on animal health and welfare. He is a very enthusiastic doctor and helps in networking with US universities to expand the wildlife veterinary training program.
VETERINARIAN/ DIRECTOR PETEN PROGRAM
Fernando Martinez
Fernando Martinez has worked with ARCAS since 1994 when he interned at the Rescue Center as a veterinary student. As ARCAS’s director in Peten, he is responsible for the administration of the Rescue Center and is a virtual walking encyclopedia on wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. He has imparted countless training courses for rescue center workers throughout Central America.
EDUCATION COORDINATOR, PETEN PROGRAM
Oda Ericastilla
Oda Ericastilla has worked as an environmental educator for almost 20 years. Currently she oversees the education program in Petén, as coordinator of the Biodiversity Education Center-CEBIO.
Biology and Volunteer Coordinator
Anna Bryant
Anna is from New Zealand and came to Guatemala for the first time in 2011 as a volunteer at the Petén Rescue Center. She fell in love with the project and stayed on as volunteer coordinator and now also directs the biology program (environmental enrichment, ethograms and field studies).
DIRECTOR ARCAS HAWAII
Sofía Méndez
ARCAS Hawaii, Sofía Méndez is a Marine Biologist with a masters in natural resource management and conservation. She has worked with coral reefs, bioinformatics and molecular ecology. She is passionate about protecting the mangroves and marina fauna of the Hawaii marine protected area.
SUB DIRECTOR ARCAS HAWAII
Mynor Sandoval
ARCAS Hawaii, Mynor Sandoval is a biologist who has specialized in protected areas management, community work, and mammalian ecology. He has served as sub-director at ARCAS Hawaii since 2020, assisting in the administration of the Hawaii Park and Protected Area.